Japan's aeronautics industry taking major step into the future

If the Mitsubishi Regional Jet passes flight tests and wins international certification in the US, it will further Mr Abe's ambition to see Japan cement its role as a leader in high-tech heavy industries.

PHOTO: BLOOMBERG

Tokyo

BY the end of this month, a gleaming new Japanese jetliner is scheduled to fly to the US using a flight plan that takes it from the relatively small Nagoya Airport in Japan's Aichi prefecture to the also little-known Grant County International airport in Washington State - with